Herbie Hancock: Takin' Off

Copy at Case Memorial Library
"The mention of the name 'Herbie Hancock' implies much more than a mere moniker. Beyond recording jazz milestones such as his first solo album Takin' Off on Blue Note (featuring his beloved 'Watermelon Man') and the groundbreaking funk/fusion album Head Hunters, Hancock was a member of one of Miles Davis' quintets, supplied original music to the soundtracks of Death Wish and 'Round Midnight (for which he won an Oscar), and music for Bill Cosby's Fat Albert series. He racked-up a huge eighties pop hit with the Grammy-winning 'Rockit' that began a string of additional Grammy awards that continued for three decades. And in the last couple of years, he also won a pair of Grammys for Album Of The Year and Best Contemporary Jazz Album for his labor of love, a tribute to Joni Mitchell titled The Joni Letters. This modern legend is considered one of the greatest innovators and most influential musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries, and Herbie Hancock's music continues to transcend jazz's stereotype" (Mike Ragogna, "A Conversation with Herbie Hancock," Huffington Post, 6/22/10).